Jordan comes from the river Jordan, whose Hebrew name Yarden is derived from yarad and means "flowing down" or "descending". Crusaders brought water from the river home for baptisms, and the name spread through Europe that way. In the United States basketball star Michael Jordan made it a household name; Jordan ranked 36th among boys in 2000, stayed in the top 100 through 2023 and is number 131 in 2025.